Prep side of island. I've been using wax instead of oil for staying power but you can see the faded marks from cleaning. the 2 small bright dots must be a reflection.

Here's an "everyday" photo (cluttered kitchen, of course!) showing part of our soapstone island. Ours is a fairly busy soapstone; I oil it occasionally.

I hope I didn't over speak but I saw your thread about fingerprints on granite and the marks soapstone will be significantly worse for you. It is such a permanent commitment you really need to be certain. Waxing or oiling makes them look like new and all scratches disappear but then it is a struggle to keep up the waxed look. I prefer them natural so don't obsess over keeping up the waxing. If you are going to want that look then it is constant maintenance for appearance only.

A close up of the prep area next to the sink after 6 months:

A few scratches and a slightly darker area - we have not waxed/oiled for a few months. Still love it!

Here's mine. Still cleaning up after a big dinner party last night. ;) It hasn't been oiled in several weeks. I love it.

Thanks, everyone!

I have several samples that I've been playing with since November, though my favorite one (original PA) just arrived a couple of weeks ago. It's just hard to tell from a 5x5 sample how it's going to react to everything. Also, the fabricator hones it to 80 grit, so the actual countertop might not react the same way as the sample.

I love the natural look, and my husband prefers the dark, oiled/waxed look. He's really curious and wants to get to know soapstone, but I know that's not a good reason to choose it!

And I know it doesn't make sense, but I can deal with a mottled look, which I get when I oil my sample and the oil starts to evaporate (similar to lishoprah's pic). But if it got greasy fingerprints, I wouldn't like that unless I could wipe them away. I've been able to wipe away everything on my sample so far.

Here's mine--Julia. Love it. I think I might have last oiled it back last Summer. You said "as it is right now," so I didn't even wipe the crumbs off.

Mine is Original PA and we've been "living" with the kitchen for 5 months. I cook a lot, have a husband who can't remember to use a cutting board, and 2 XL dogs who like to "belly up to the bar" (put front paws on counters) to see what's cooking! So far, so good. My only issue is when freshly waxed white marks are sometimes left by hot pots, warm plates, etc.. They buff out easily but might annoy you if you're a neat-nick.

OP here...

A couple of months ago, I found a well-used soapstone counter at our local appliance store and took some photos. I LOVED it, patina and all. But, if you all think I might still have a problem with soapstone in my own kitchen, keep telling me so!

Here's the counter I saw and was obsessed with:

I think so much depends on the variety you choose. We chose a hard variety with lots of veining for our island countertop at our lakehouse. It's where I do 99% of my prep. I roll out pastry dough for pies on it and we put hot pots and pans from the grill directly on it. (Not advising the grill pan part, but it's what we've done for 8 yrs.)

I haven't applied the beeswax/mineral oil combo on mine for at least 5 yrs. I have no nicks, cracks or big scratches. It looks as good as when installed - I had a great installer whose primary work was with soapstone.

I don't have a "today" pic - not there ;) But I did find a couple taken late summer focused on the food. No pains were taken to pretty up the countertop. Gives an idea of 8 yr. old un oiled.

Here's our island unoiled-from last year:

And then from this morning:

Ours is a softer variety and definitely has nicks and scratches, although nothing major. We left it unoiled for 5 years and then I decided to oil it, just to see how it would look. That's one of the advantages as I see it-you can make an easy change in your counters whenever you want.

Ours hasn't been oiled from some time this summer, I can't remember when. There are definitely scratches, but I love it. I know the scratches would be disappear if I oiled it, but I like the lived in look and it has character. The closest end is definitely the most used part of the island, the farther down you go the less scratched as no one sits there as much. Sorry about the reflection.

Three years old, oiled a few times the first few months, gone naked ever since.

Gets a little darker next to the range and sink, but easily evens out with a green scrubbie.

This this is a good thread and question to ask. A majority of time people only show their soapstone in pristine condition. You don't really see how messy it gets sometimes. We have patina forming all over our peninsula and perimeter counters. We get grease marks and other oil spots that do come off with some light scrubbing with dawn. They go away within a few days on their own. Scroll down for finger spots on our counter from 3 days ago. They have since disappeared but left behind darker patina spots. We don't oil so spots are more visible. Like others have said though, even potato chip crumbs leave oil dark spots, so just be sure you know what you are getting into. We did and do not regret our decision. Others may not go for it.

I love the look of soapstone freshly oiled.. but living with soapstone for the past 4.5 years.. i can honestly say I HATE them. Sooo much upkeep to keep them looking what I consider good looking. Part of the countertops that are used little look fine, but after a day of 2 after cleaning.. the whole thing is blotchy. I would never, ever, ever get soapstone again. Of course, everyone likes different looks... but for me personally, I'd never do soapstone again.

I don't see anything not to love! Originally, I really wanted soapstone but it was so expensive and my husband was not on board with "patina." So I went with honed Virginia Jet Mist. I am not miserable with my choice but I am definitely underwhelmed by it. I does get dull smudges that DO NOT seem to wipe away. It was sealed and enhanced and I clean it regularly with the Dupont cleaner/sealer the installers sold to me. If I had it to do over again, I'd have chosen something else, either soapstone or a quartzite, but that would have come at a significantly higher cost. All the pictures above make me swoon. :))

Honed jet mist around here is roughly the same price as soapstone (quote was only $5 less per sq ft, fabricated/installed). My husband hasn't liked any of the jet mists we've seen, and says if we're going up to that price level, we might as well just do soapstone.

These pics are not scaring me away...yet!

I did the regimen of oiling my soapstone the first year which has given the stone it's darker patina. Now the soapstone no longer requires oil and has maintained its look over time. The only areas I oil now are inside the sink which gets hit with a lot of dish soap and a couple feet around it which gets wiped down with a soapy sponge a few times a day.

The bottom of the sink lightens the most but is only noticed first thing in the morning when it is fully dried. When wet it looks like the rest of the counters.

I recon those lighter looking soapstone pictures are from folks who likely didn't regularly oil their soapstone much.

I imagine that the amount of regular upkeep necessary to keep soapstone counters dark or light must vary based on the type of soapstone, as quadesl and drewdogg alluded to above. Keeping ours light the first 5 years was not all that hard; now that we keep it dark (using the wax/oil combo florida joshua recommended) and it has been almost a year, I don't have to wax it all that often to maintain that look either.

There are just 2 adults here, with occasional grandchildren visiting (they all live out of town), and then other entertaining ~ 1-2x/month. We don't baby it (anymore), and I still love it. But I agree it's not for everyone.

I have loved reading about everyone's real life experiences with soapstone and seeing the photos. I'm a little worried about upkeep since dh is a slob in the kitchen- grease splatters next to the stove and spills left to harden, not to mention water splashed all around the sink area when he "helps" me by doing dishes. Now that I've chosen and paid for slabs there is no turning back (not that I want to) so I will have to figure out how to deal with his messes or else ban him from the kitchen!

If you choose not to oil as I did a few years ago there really is no special maintenance.

I'm not a tidy cook by any means, but when grease splatters, I would think wiping up with a dab of dish soap on a sponge would be considered normal upkeep for any counter material.

Soapstone is the most carefree counter material I've ever worked on, I don't baby it at all. But, as others have said it's not for everyone, and if you are in doubt, it is probably not for you.

I like the dark look of oiled soapstone. If you want it to stay dark, do you have to choose a particular type of soapstone, or oil it regularly forever, or both, or what? The fabricators' websites make it sound like you oil it for a while and it stays dark. (I'm in love with the pictures of Julia in this thread, so I'd particularly like to know about that.)

I remember the counters in my school chem and bio labs. They were always dark black, and I doubt anybody ever babied them!

@emckillip... look up thread at my counters. Photos taken last night, they have not been oiled since about mid 2013, with use they darken on their own. You can see how the backsplash is a bit lighter.

My variety is called Mariana, which I would say is medium/soft. It is a Brazilian stone, and I believe goes by other names from different suppliers.

I purchased my soapstone from FL Joshua (wonderful guy!) but I have tried and purchased everything recommended and there is upkeep if you want your counters to look uniformed and not blotchy. Spray a little cleaner on it and all oil is gone! I did try to wax them.. I think that just made them worse. They don't darken after time in my experience. They are beautiful, just a ton of upkeep to keep them pristine and not blotchy, they way I prefer, and they can be oily too... I personally would never ever have soapstone again.

For all of you soapstone people --

How did you decide on it? Did you have it in a previous home? Did you decide between soapstone and another (marble, granite, quartz) and ultimately decided on soapstone?

If that was the case, what pushed you to soapstone?

I absolutely love it - and saw a slab yesterday. I know it will look amazing in our kitchen, but it comes down to cost.

Initially, we were going to do a honed black quartz - with some movement in it - not quite like soapstone - but not solid black. The quartz is lovely - and will look great.

Then I saw the soapstone…. swoon!

However, it's about 75% more expensive than the quartz.

It's for my perimeter - and I have a decent amount. (not sure of exact s/f, but it's a large space)

I'll get a more accurate quote today or tomorrow - then decide.

(1) I cook a lot. I much appreciate that I can put anything hot from the oven right onto the surface, and the soapstone also makes a great surface for working dough, etc. It does cool my morning coffee cup too quickly. (2) It is low maintenance. I realize others have had some issues, but I don't do anything to mine except maybe oil it twice a year. (3) I have not had soapstone before. I found out about it as an option on this site and I read everything I could find about it. I went from looking at granite to quartz to marble and then to soapstone. When I saw the slab in the yard (the only soapstone in my small town) it was absolute love at first sight. (4) It is perfect for my 1932 home and looks like it's been here forever. Classic.

How it felt when I touched it.

Durability - non reactive, you can put super hot pans on it, etc.

the patena.

I have several pairs of leather boots and I absolutely love them. I love how the leather feels, especially when it's broken it. I like how they look when they're new but love how they look after a few months or years or wearing them. All the scratches, scuffs, creases. I love that I can put conditioner on them and they look different. I love that I can have new soles put on them. I don't baby my boots, wear them in all kinds of weather and they have all held up great but I also bought quality boots.

To me soapstone is very similar to my boots. If you can't deal with them getting scuffed up then they're probably not for you. And similar materials and cheap boots don't held up as well or look as nice as the real deal.

I saw soapstone in a showroom, and loved it. I don't like granite, too shiny for me. I was looking for something different, saw the soapstone, and fell in love. The other alternative was a honed granite, but I didn't like the feel of it. We have a lot of soapstone, we have a big island and big perimeter. It was expensive, but when we were doing the house that was my thing that I was not willing to give up. My husband's was his big garage. Neither of us regret standing our ground! I love the look of it and the feel of it. It was worth every penny to me, I would install it again in a heartbeat. My husband laughs at me because I will pat it sometimes because it just feels so good. And it's so easy to take care of, oiling sounds like a big deal, but it's not. Anything wipes right up, nothing stains, you can put pans right out of the oven on it and it's fine.

I think you have to love it, as many people have said, if the scratches are going to get to you, it's not the material for you. The first month I freaked out whenever it was scratched, but now.... I don't care. The biggest scratch happened this summer when my son brought his lunch cooler home from work with some grit on the bottom of it, and dragged it across the counter. With a little Clapman's beeswax, it was gone. The stone has darkened enough that even when I haven't oiled in a long time it still looks good.

This article describes it perfectly-

[https://www.houzz.com/magazine/soapstone-counters-a-love-story-stsetivw-vs~27991463 [(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/soapstone-counters-a-love-story-stsetivw-vs~27991463)

Thank you so much -- I hadn't read this article. It really helps!

When I was at the stone place yesterday, the stone guy (who is extremely knowledgable and has been selling the stuff for 25+years) -- took his car key out and scratched the stone. I stood in shock. He then took out some very light grit sandpaper (he said you can also use the green side of a scotch sponge) ran it over and around the scratch, put some mineral oil on it - and it was gone. Just like that.

That took away any fears I had about the light scratches from daily wear and tear.

In the article you posted, the author showed where she has a chip on the edge of the counter. This would bug the heck out of me.

Quartz simply wouldn't do that - at least it would be hard to do.

I'll get my pricing - sleep on it some more - and then decide.

Thanks for the help!

We chose it for a few reasons. Our house is very old and I like patina (ex. Redoing the exterior and had to fight with GC to patch original shutters and repaint because new just wouldn't be right). I start every day with fresh lemons (smoothies and tea), we drink a lot of red wine, and I am a bit careless and sloppy. With soapstone there is no staining or etching. We chose a hard variety and the scratches disappear. We do not have any chips (7 months now). The patina isn't for everyone. I know my mom doesn't like them but she also hates her copper sink which I think is gorgeous.